I still don�t have my car back.

Oh, I picked it up this morning. But I drove it to a gas station, filled it up� and it wouldn�t start again. So I had it towed back to the dealer.

This is insane.

Imagine you had told a client that their project was going to take two weeks, and then it actually took four weeks. And after receiving it two weeks late, they got it home and found out that it was wrong. How much trouble would you be in? How would the company you work for handle that?

Let me tell you how Brubaker Chrysler (that�s right, I�m naming names) in Lancaster handled that: they said that they would be happy to take a look at it� in two days! Yes, that�s right, this all happened this morning, on Wednesday, but they said that they don�t think they can get to it until Friday.

I can�t believe I can�t get better service than this. I wish I had my old Saturn back.

And before you start telling me who I should have called, and that I should take it somewhere else� I tried. Nobody else could look at it today either, and my insurance company prefers that I take it back to the people who did the work originally.

This past month has been awful. I looked back at my entries from around the time of the accident, and saw that I thought my life was crazy then. I had no idea what I was in for. Since then it has been so much worse. I�m pinching every penny (that the natural gas company hasn�t already taken) because I might need it for car repairs. I�m current on all my bills at the moment, but I don�t know how I�ll pay the next batch. I guess I better enjoy this moment of solvency. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring.

You may remember a recent problem with the dental insurance company also. Let me tell you how that shook out. The wonderfully helpful woman on the phone had said that I could expect the check in the mail in two weeks. So two weeks later, still without a check, I call back. And get the same story!

�Oh yes, here it is! It still hasn�t been processed!� And she begins weaving quite a tale: �It seems that we�re waiting on information from your group.�

�I see,� I replied, not really seeing, �Can you help me understand? I don�t know what you mean by my �group��.

�Your employer.�

�My employer?� I thought to myself. Finally. Someone local that I can yell at in person. I�m gonna get this claim processed now.

�What kind of information are you waiting on,� I asked.

�They won�t tell me.�

�Well, from whom are they waiting for this information?�

�I�m not allowed to know that.�

Clearly I�m not dealing with a power broker here. Time to up the ante.

�May I speak to your manager?� I asked. I�ve always wanted to ask that.

�Yes!� she chirped. I think she was keen to make me someone else�s problem.

Hold music.

�How may I help you?� said a new, deeper, more gravelly voice. A voice that seemed older, and like it belonged to a black woman. This was a voice I wouldn�t want angry at me. If this was the first woman�s manager, I don�t understand how any work went undone around there.

So I explain again, from the beginning. Give all my numbers again.

�Well, I don�t understand why this hasn�t been processed; we received that information last week. You see, your company just started with us on the first of the year, so we were still waiting on some information. But it came in April 1st. I�m going to process this claim right now.�

Does that mean that no one in my company has had a claim processed in all that time? I think I would have heard some grumbling around the office about that. Whatever. I heard her typing, and she started quoting me numbers.

�Ok, this check will go out Thursday.�

�So I should expect in a week or two..�

�It will go out Thursday!� she exclaimed. I figured that I had reached the end of the good I could do, so I hung up.

So now it�s Wednesday night, the next week. Let me go check the mailbox�

No, I didn�t think so. Oh well, it�s not like I could drive to the bank anyway.