Today was a good
day to practise my Spanish . . . .
Chapter 1:
My first challenge was to find out what a message from Honda Spain
really meant. It seemed to be a final (positive) reply to my demand
that Honda bring back my car from Vigo - where they'd taken it a week
ago to deal with a faulty sensor - but it talked of my car being
taken to
not brought back from
Vigo. In fact, it was identical to a message I'd received on Monday.
Anyway, I sent a reply but decided not to wait for clarification and,
instead, called Honda
Asistencia. After I'd provided them all the details I had on Monday, they finally advised
me Honda wouldn't be bringing the car back on a truck but sending me
to Vigo in a taxi.
Chapter 2:
After the taxi had dropped me off at the Honda dealer in Vigo, I
walked through the showroom to the service area at the rear, where
the conversation went something like this?
I've come to
pick up my car.
[Using the
special agonised face and tone reserved for foreigners] What?!
I've come to
pick up my car.
What car? We
haven't got one for collection.
A car that
was brought here last Monday from Pontevedra.
For
a service?
No, for a
sensor fault to be repaired.
I don't know
anything about it. I'll ask my colleague.
[Interrupts
salesman trying to sell a car] Did you call anyone about a car to be
picked up?
No, I don't know
anything about it.
[Turning to me]
We'll have a look outside.
[Out in the
yard] Is this it?
Yes.
[Luckily having thought to bring the spare key] I'll
check whether the fault has been fixed. . . . Yes, it has. Can I take
it now?
I'll have to
find if anyone knows where the key and the papers are.
Is there a
café near here?
There's a
machine there.
No, I mean a
café.
Yes,
there's one 200 metres up the road.
OK. I'll see
you in 20m.
Chapter 3:
When I get back the guy has changed his attitude from almost-surly to
almost-servile. He opens the door for me and conducts me to the desk,
where I sign the papers and pick up the key. I then spend 10 minutes
trying to get out of the compound because, out in the narrow lane, a
bus and a car are engaged in a stand-off which is preventing either
of them from continuing their journey. Eventually - and inevitably -
the car driver caves in and I head off home. In the wrong direction.
Years
ago, when talking to a Spanish friend about customer service, I said
I would favour using international companies which had a reputation
for high quality service. "Good luck" he said. "I fear
you'll find that, international they may be, but they're all run by
Spanish managers". On days like this, I think I know exactly what he meant.
And,
yes, it did rain on the first day of March. Non stop, so far. Leading
to the postponement or even cancellation of various Carnaval
(Mardi Gras)
parades scheduled for tonight. So mine is not, by far, the worst of
days.
Though
I do have a wifi download speed of just 47kbps. Or 0.05megas. A new
low. Which compares with 20megas in one bar in the centre of town.
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