Day in the Life of an Idiot

 Yesterday, I was feeling brave. After a quick consult with Shawn to make sure we agreed on what we would and would not accept, I picked up the phone and called back Tim from Turbo Tim's. 

Tim sounded my age.  I'm not sure why I felt this, but immediately I got the sense we were both young in the 1980s.

I initially thought things were going to not go well because, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tim started in on this long description of why rear wheel bearings are different from front wheel bearings. And, I thought, oh no. He's going to try to mansplain his way out of this. I listened (actually to keep myself from rudely cutting him off, I held the phone away from my ear) and when he wound down I asked, "Okay. I do actually have some knowledge of how cars work, but I appreciate your explanation. Is that all you are offering?"

He wanted to know if I would come back, ever, and accept some store credit and I said "absolutely not. I am not interested in store credit." We talked a little bit about trust at this point and I told him, "Tim, we are working back towards trust. If I am going to have any trust in you, it will depend on what you are willing to do to make this right." 

At this point he wanted to know what he could do. What did I want? I told him that he could offer me a refund for the front wheel bearings. I wanted half the cost of the work. That was all I needed. $600.00.

For some reason he decided to argue with me? But what he argued was, "No, I think you deserve much more." 

I will admit: this proposal stunned me into silence for a good half minute.

I managed to gather my wits and said, "Well, then offer me what you think I deserve." He then offered to refund the ENTIRE JOB. All $1,200.00 of it. 

I accepted.

We kept talking (and by "we" at this point, I mean "he,") and I was a little confused by this. But, it dawned on me that what he really, sincerely seemed to want was some kind of assurance that I would remain his customer. I told him that was going to be difficult, but that he had really impressed me with the full refund. I also told him, several times, that Midway Turbo Tim's is a block and a half from my house, which is why I started going there. I also explained that I am a lesbian and so I appreciated his political stance on LGBTQIA+ "friendliness." I also like cats! But, it was going to take some time before I felt ready to go back, but, if it was important to him, I could tell him that it was POSSIBLE I might return for small jobs? It really is convenient, but it's also insanely unlikely: they done me wrong. REALLY WRONG. I didn't say that last bit out loud, so he seemed satisfied. (The extent to which this felt like an ex-boyfriend saying "just give me one more chance!!" was HIGH and also did not actually ingratiate me the way I think Tim intended. Like what woman hasn't had that One Guy who really, really needed assurances that he was still loved, even after he was a complete knucklehead or worse?)

Tim then really wanted to explain wheel bearings again, so I let him, and then he assured me that Sean at Midway Tim's would be calling with details about the refund. 

Sean did NOT call. But, Sean did text the information to me. (I do not think Sean feels nearly the same desire to keep me as a customer. Tim in his long ramble did let slip that the Midway mechanic, foreman, and front desk all got "written up" over this fiasco. So, yeah, Tim, I think me going back to Midway Tim's would be met some MASSIVE hostility. They are not big fans of me right now over there.) 

At least it seems as though things are resolved and a repayment is in process.

I am not closing out my BBB case file, however until the money is literally back in the bank.

So, I guess that's it.

Y'all, the Better Business Bureau for the win. I do not believe I could have gotten any action without the threat of a bad mark in the BBB. It makes some sense if Tim is my age (or near) because *I* thought of the Better Business Bureau immediately for recourse. I am still somewhat unconvinced that anyone younger than me even knows what the BBB is, exactly, or what they do and what it means to have a bad Better Business Bureau rating. But, in this case, it worked.

What are my brain cells supposed to do now? I've been obsessing and thinking about this for WEEKS!

 For those of you who are all in for the blow-by-blow with Better Business Bureau vs. Turbo Tim's Midway, there is a new development!

For those of you NOT here for it, this is your cue to skip. Since this drama-llama will probably continue on and off, I will see if I can find an appropriate car icon so that you know not to bother at a glance. I will us the 'llama in car' icon  you see above, graciously found for me by coffeetime , to warn you off at a glance. 

Okay, so.....

The BBB works FAST, y'all. Highly recommend (at least so far.)

If you have been following along, you will remember that I got a notification from the Better Business Bureau the very same day that I put my complaint in. The BBB is very clear in its canned responses that it is very likely that businesses will not respond. The businesses are notified that they have 20 days to reply, but it's not legally binding, so a lot of places just don't. There are consquences if they don't reply, but, technically, if you don't care what the BBB thinks of you, the consequences are fairly minor, as such things go.  No one wants a bad Better Business rating, but then the question is do GenZ or Millenials even know what the Better Business Bureau even is?

Yesterday, while I was out doing some grocery shopping in advance of the snowstorm, I got a text. It was about an hour before I usually pick Shawn up at MNHS, so I checked it. It was from Tim of Turbo Tim's. Yep. Tim himself. The Tim of Turbo Tim's.

Yes, I saved it. No only do I still have his text saved, I had Shawn take a picture of it (I have NEVER figured out screenshots on my phone) and so I have photographic evidence as well. (Should I need to upload another .jpg to the BBB's files.)

It was actually--on the surface--a very friendly note. It was all, "Hey, we need to make this right! Why don't you give me a call when you have time and we'll work out some options! My goal is not to lose you as a customer!"  This is a paraphrase. For some reason, Tim of Turbo Tim's really loves "wanna" and "gonna" in his texts. 

What bothers me, of course, is this attempt at a work around.

I know that the BBB sent my complaint to Tim's because they told me they had when they assigned me a case number. So what's the game here, Tim? Are you 'gonna' offer me some kind of coupon? Because if you were the refunding type, Tim, you would have offered that on the spot.

I did not respond at all. I never acknowledged reciept of the text. Nothing. Instead, I went to my latest email from the BBB, copied my case number, and wrote them an email telling them that Tim's had tried a work around and asking for advice on how to proceed. 

Stay tuned, I guess!

I will admit that it was weirdly satisfying to see Tim nervous enough to reach out like this.

 
Image: the f*cking wheel bearing

The car story gets worse, but also better. 

The tl:dr is we took it to Troy's in Roseville got amazing service and a lot of sympathy. Tried to get Tim's to refund us was told they'd never replaced the FRONT wheel bearings only the rear, so "too bad, so sad."

The longer story. When I heard back from Troy's on Tuesday they said "Our mechanic took it for a drive and it is the worst sounding wheel bearing we have ever heard." I, of course, expressed astonishment that it could be a wheel bearing at all since Tim's bill clearly stated "replaced wheel bearings [both sides]." Troy had no idea what to say. But, the car was barely drivable, so I said, "Of course, do the work, but if you could please take a few pictures so that we could have some proof to show Tim's and maybe we could get our money back?" Troy is a mechanic not a computer whiz, but they promised to do their best and figure out how to email us the pictures. 

They did an amazing job, btw. When I walked in the door they had a mechanic come out from the back, go to my car with me, and let me try to produce the weird electrical problem. Of course, it fired up like a dream. We joked that it's like trying to reproduce a cough at the doctor's office. It just never happens. The mechanic said they'd take a look, anyway, and see what they could find. He asked me all the right questions, "Does it happen when this?" "Does it happen when that?" 

At the very, very least I felt listened to.

Troy called me with updates along the way and was very consciencous about getting things done for me by the time I needed the car back. They took pictures and expressed disappointment with Tim's. "I'd heard such good things about them," said Troy in a sad voice.

When the mechanic drove it, he noted that the other horrible rattling was probably a loose heat shield so they tightened that back down FOR FREE. They also recommended replacing some tires, which, of course, necessitates an alignment, and I had asked for an oil change since one was due.

So, the bill was hefty.

But they also tested the battery and it FAILED. So, they thought that a first step to solving the electrical problems might be to replace the battery, did I want to do that? I said, "Honestly, it can't hurt. Though that was the first thing I did when this problem started." (To be fair to me, that was right when we first got this car, which is several years ago now.)

When I picked it up? It ran like a dream. I couldn't believe it. And, so far? The weird electrical gremlin has either gone into hiding or, is, in fact, fixed. (I find the later to be unlikely, but at least when I return it to Troy, we will both know exactly when the battery was replaced, etc.)

I had to work Wednesday as it was the last official day of the snow emergency and I had signed up to do what they call "snowbirding" (which is tagging obviously abandoned cars that are completely covered in snow and clearly plowed around.) A WAY more fun job that tagging cars during a snow emergency. The owners of the cars are... not around? So, no one comes out to yell at you. Also, I got to drive alone. One thing to know about your girl Lyda: she is well suited for jobs where she works mainly independently. 

But, so anyway, this morning, bright early I showed up the moment Tim's opened. I brought their paperwork, Troy's paperwork, the actual front wheel bearing removed by Troy, and Troy's pictures of their work to the office. I was ready to fight for $600 back. (Also, Troy charged us $300 for a single wheel bearing; Tim's charged us $600.) Y'all I was calm. I did not ask to speak to the manager, but I did ask to speak with someone who could authorize a refund. Apparently, it was their front desk guy Sean who at first tried to tell me that they only replaced ONE of the wheel bearings, until I pointed to the part on their bill that clearly says both. Then, he told me he needed to "check their notes" and SPENT A LOT OF TIME TYPING and then showed me a print out of the behind the scenes notes where the mechanic said "rear" and that "a growling sound persisted."

Now, 1) you'd think you'd write "rear" wheel bearings on the bill, but it just says "replaced both wheel bearings," and 2) you'd think a good mechanic might feel, at this point, that maybe the job wasn't done and that the next step would be to recommend (or, hell, just CHECK) the front wheel bearings, but apparently not.

Apparently, if Sean didn't just add this note while I stood there waiting for him to respond to me, they are AT LEAST guilty of being really, really negligent mechanics. Because nothing came back to me that said, "growling persists." In fact, I was quite shocked to discover that growling persisted. 

Moreover, the car was dangerous to drive.

But, Tim's not only let me drive away in a dangerous car, let me pay them nearly $2,000 for a job NOT FINISHED. 

So... one of my jobs today is to figure out how to make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, possibly the Attorney General, and f*ck up all their yahoo, Google, and Angie's lists reviews as much as physically possible. I guess that's my only recourse. All and all we are out $3,000--most of that is stuff that I guess needed doing? Do I trust any of Tim's recommendations at this point? No, for all I know they replaced things that didn't need replacing, like, did the rear wheel bearings need replacing? I don't know any more. Because Troy only replaced one of the wheel bearings in the front and now it works great!

When I told Troy that Tim's had also recommended a new tie rod, they came back to me and said 'No, we checked. Your tie rod is solid. The big problem was this front wheel bearing.' And, given HOW WELL the car drives right now, the people I believe are at Troy's!  And think of it. I would have, had I continued to think that Tim's was capable of doing "the basics" spent money on a tie rod that absolutely DOES NOT need replacing.

Did my belts need replacing? Now, I'm not sure!

This is so awful, y'all. 

Plus, I had to stand in line with people dropping off their cars off at Tim's. I listened to one woman who was desperately trying to save a few dollars asking if they could do a break line reroutering instead of full replace and they told her no, they don't do that, for this reason and that, but mostly YOUR SAFETY. And, I really, really had to old my tongue and say, "Try Troy's. If it can safely be done, they will do it AND they don't charge for an inspection."

I feel like this is so predatory. A lot of people who live in Midway are, like me, borderline... well, I can't say "poor" because I think that conjures up the wrong image... maybe very, very working class? Maybe "getting by, but certainly not flush."  That last description is probably the best. Lots of folks in Midway own their own homes, but we all bought into the kind of neighborhood where you see a lot of people replacing their own shingles, say, one at a time, rather than hiring the company that does it, you know? I did my own concrete repair on my stairs because the bids I got would have bankrupted us, (like, seriously, it was obvious that the company didn't want to do so small a job because they quoted us LITERALLY $30,000. I did the work myself for the cost of two bags of concrete and one specialized tool and the miniscule internet cost of three different YouTube tutorials.) And, Turbo Tim's is set up not only here, but in Northeast, which is another notoriously poor/working class/just getting by kind of neighborhood. 

What the hell. I am so disappointed.

But, the short of it? My car is repaired now. I am praying for another snowstorm so I can tag some more cars for money.... Goddamn it.

----
Complaint has been registered with the Better Business Bureau for all that's worth. Now on to the various review sites!

 We got our car back from the shop this morning, and... I'm going to miss the loaner. 

Because when I picked up the Camery, of course, it didn't start. I had to pop the hood and wiggle the wire and turn the key again. I honestly do not know how the mechanics managed to move my car in and out of the garage, but good for them, I guess. It's also so weird to me that none of them (at Turbo Tim's) have the intellectual/mechanical curiosity to want to understand WHY this happens. 

They also never recognize me despite the fact that in any other shop, I'd imagine my car would be the source of much interest for its electrical weirdnesses. I tell them every time how close I live to them, and, every time, I attempt to have a bit of humorous banter with the guy behind the counter. But, I am universally met with a blank stare--if they look at me at all. Usually, they studiously avoid looking up from their various computer screens. I don't think they know who they're talking to half the time.

Even though, I can tell you my mechanic's name is Tony. I could, in fact pick him out of a line-up. The reverse is clearly not true.

Is this a Millenial thing? 

I mean seriously.

The barista at my coffee shop also no longer seem to 1) make eye contact at all and so 2) never learn what I look like or my name and 3) stringently rebuff any attempts I make to ask them about their lives or to engage in what my generation thinks of as "friendly chit-chat." To be clear, I don't think anyone "owes me a smile" or even the time of day, but there is a cool indifference to their attitude that does really change my relationship with places that I frequent. Like, not only do I feel no loyalty, I feel actively UNWELCOME there. Turbo Tim's claims to be LGBTQIA+ friendly. Are you kidding me? What do they think "friendly" means? Treat everyone with the same amount of vague disinterest? I mean, I guess that's a kind of equality, but it doesn't feel anything approaching "friendliness."  No one extends even the vaguest of pleasantries. Instead, it's all very, "And you are?"

I don't know. I went back to them despite having twice been charged for something they could not fix because I assumed that just being asked to do some routine maintainance would be fine. And, I guess they did the work, so I shouldn't really complain, but I did not feel well taken care of or "valued" as so many places claim to want to do with their customers. 

I probably shouldn't be so annoyed. People are just trying to get through. But, I think, in 2025 the issue is that I feel like small kindness are going to MATTER. It's weird when you can't even count on a nice bit of stupid back and forth at the places you do business.

===

Okay, and now I just drove it on the highway to pick up Shawn. THE GROWLING I TOOK IT IN FOR IS STILL THERE. Yes, it's a little better? But it is still bad.

========

Update to the update: I have an appiontment elsewhere. Sorry kitties at Turbo Tim's. I actually need my car serviced. 

 
Image: Cat on top of a car inside Midway's Turbo Tim's.

When I posted this picture on Facebook, I noted "Took my car to Turbo Tim's. They got their best guy on it."

I really want to love Turbo Tim's. They are queer friendly and literally within a block and a half of my house. Dropping a car off with them is easy, peasey lemon squeezy. 

But I am deeply concerned that when I go an pick up my car today they will not have fixed the problem because the problem is not routine. It's actually REALLY weird. It's a mystery. Something where you have to have time and patience and a lot of expertise to figure out. I have some kind of parasitic draw sucking the juice from my battery on TOP of the fact that sometimes the wire just jiggles loose. I am very certain that  the loose wire is an AND problem, not the ONLY problem.  

But, inevitably (because this is the second time I've asked Tim's to look at this), they will come back with a simple diagnosis that the wiring is loose and they have tightened it and done and dusted. I saw that come through last night on my estimate, felt depressed, agreed to let them do a couple of other cheap things on their routine list of things they look at on your car and resolved that I was probably going to have to drive out to an auto place in Roseville that I used to swear by that I am 85% certain is run by Trump voting Republicans.  But Tor is the kind of mechanic who can actually trace a problem like this because he is that kind of motorhead Republican who actually kind of believes his manliness is attached to his ability to perform car miracles.  Which WORKS IN MY FAVOR in this instance...

...and I hate that.

I hated it so much that I decided to try to be proactive.

I called Turbo Tim's just now and said, "Look, I am really afraid that when I pick up my car, the problem will not be solved AGAIN." I told the person I talked to just now that I have actually brought the car in to them for this VERY SPECIFIC problem before, that they all did the exact same things that I can see on the list that they text me, and the problem not only continued, but has deterioriated. I do not like to have to pay for labor (although I said I would because I sincerely value labor, even unproductive labor,) when the problem isn't going to be fixed.  And I will be forced to take my car elsewhere if they simply don't have the expertise to fix this or are unwilling or otherwise unable to do it. I am a used car driver. Used cars have weird, dumb, mysterious problems. If Turbo Tim's only solves the easy to fix, routine problems that new cars have, then why are they in Midway??? (See: previous description of my neighborhood as a possum.) Or for that matter Northeast??

The person on the other end at first wanted to reassure me that this is how you test for the things and my car passed the test. I said, somewhat grumpily, "I guess that's why it's a mystery."  I appreciated that they used a voltmeter on my car, but my brother-in-law also owns one. Lots of people have voltmeters. I reminded them that this was their "solution" last time and the problem persisted. The person said, "Oh, you brought this in before?" I said, "Yes, and the problem wasn't fixed then either. This is why I am concerned. You have done the tests before and tightened the wire before. That is simply NOT the problem or it would have been fixed the last time." 

They have now promised to get an extra pair of eyes on the issue. Who knows what this means, but it is, at least, a token effort. 

I will probably still have to budget time (not to mention MONEY) to take my car to a different auto place. 

Still, last time I just sucked up. This time, at least, I am doing what I can.