On Hold

When a thing starts to go wrong, odds are it will continue in that direction.  It's not just water that goes downhill.  Temperatures climbed back up into the 90s on Sunday and again yesterday.  On Sunday, the ceiling fan in the living room went kaput.  I've carried insurance for twenty years just for such an eventuality, and I put in a call.  The call was answered by an automated voice, a voice with attitude.  "Say the type of appliance that needs service."  "Ceiling fan."  "Ceiling heater fan, is that right?"  "No, ceiling fan."  "Ceiling heater fan, is that right?"  "NO! Ceiling fan!"  She didn't care for my attitude, either.  "You wish to end this call, is that right?"  "NO!  Representative!"  That wasn't one of the options she'd given, and she hung up on me.  If I hadn't really needed to get the air moving, I might have given up, but I was desperate so made the call again to Ms. Snotty.  I had her number by then and started right off with, "Representative," and kept repeating until she gave up and connected me to a real live person after a 30-minute time out on hold.  That person assigned the order to a company in Lake Tahoe.  Lake Tahoe is a good two hours away!  "Is there no one closer to me, say like Placerville, Jackson, or even Sacramento?"  "No.  They'll be in touch."  And so I sat in a pool of sweat and waited.

There was no call back on Sunday.  Before going to the barn yesterday, I phoned again to check the status.  After another "discussion" with Ms. Snotty and another 30 minutes on hold, I gave up and went to tend the girls.  The air in the living room was stifling after chores.  I had no choice but to try again.  Do you know how ridiculous it is to sit alone in a room and shout at a recorded voice?  After 35 minutes on hold (Ms. Snotty knew how to get revenge),when Representative answered, I was told that Lake Tahoe had declined the honor and that Dispatch was trying to find a company closer to Fair Play.  Well, duh.  If I hadn't heard anything by the afternoon, I was to call back.  Aarrgh!

Ms. Snotty punished me with a 45-minute wait this time, but I knew what to expect.  Representative informed me that there were no local companies under contract and the solution was for me to find a service and, if I followed a very strict and involved set of rules and pay for the repairs/replacement myself, I would be reimbursed.  Oh goody.

The company I'd dealt with in the past had gone out of business, so I called another number from the book.  The nice man said he had a two-week waiting list, had no recommendations for anyone else, and suggested I try Googling electricians in the area.  I gave up.  As Scarlett said, tomorrow is another day.  In the meantime, life as I know it is on hold.